Luke 1:13

But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John (Luke 1:13 NLT).

Talk about absolute vindication! For years and years, Elizabeth and Zechariah had endured the unspoken judgment of their community. It was a very common belief among that culture that if a woman was barren it was due to some sin that kept God’s hand of blessing from being bestowed upon her. And all the while, day after day, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, Elizabeth and Zechariah continued to serve God faithfully in spite of what others thought and perhaps even whispered or said out loud. They served AND they prayed, in spite of even the nagging doubts of their own hearts. I wonder how long it had been since their last prayer when their faith was forced to finally give way to the hard and harsh physical evidence that Elizabeth was no longer even able to bear children. And just as the ember of their faith still glowing in Elizabeth’s heart is starting to burn out, God shows up to answer her prayer – in spite of the physical impossibilities that had robbed her of that hope.

This is a joyous reminder that God is able to do the impossible, but by mere virtue of the fact that it is impossible, it will also seem totally insane. For a woman to get pregnant after she has passed through menopause is simply ludicrous. For a man to step out of a boat onto water and walk is crazy. For five loaves of bread and two fish to feed close to 10,000 people is irrational. For water to turn into wine is not something you could ever really convince anyone actually happened. For an innocent man to die a brutal death on a cross to purchase back mankind from the devil to God … well, that’s why the world thinks Christianity is insane, ludicrous, crazy, irrational, and why it is something we can never really convince people actually happened. Because when it comes to the miraculous and supernatural things of God, it is only by the power of His Spirit opening up blind eyes that anyone can see the truth. 

That day in the Temple, God opened Zechariah’s eyes to the truth of who holds the cards when it comes to life and death. And that truth would not just change Elizabeth and Zechariah’s life forever, but it would usher in the transformation of the world for all eternity.

Today I will stay mindful of the fact that my life looks pretty strange to people who don’t yet know the truth and my job is not to convince them of the truth, but to live it so that God can open their eyes.